Are you looking to deliver engaging and effective professional development (PD) sessions for educators? Look no further than the remixable PD guide available in the Book Creator Discover Library. This comprehensive resource is designed to help facilitators and trainers introduce Book Creator to other educators, making the process seamless and impactful.
Key insights from top trainers
We asked our Teacher Success Managers Jon Smith, Catherine Cappiello, Vickie Ahearn, and Janet Burnett what makes a great PD session, and they highlighted three essential elements:
- Why: Give your audience a compelling reason to listen and engage in the session. We've included several resources to excite them about the potential of Book Creator.
- Try: Hands-on learning is crucial. Guide teachers to explore Book Creator on their own and watch the light bulbs switch on!
- Apply: Ensure teachers take their learning into the classroom by encouraging them to reflect, brainstorm, discuss, and plan how they will introduce Book Creator to their students.
Before delivery of professional learning
Be sure you are up-to-date on the latest features and updates.
Before diving into your training sessions, ensure you are well-versed and up-to-speed with Book Creator by completing the Certified Author course, watching a new features webinar, or checking out our What's New page.
Planning for a successful session
A successful PD session starts with thorough planning. Use the guide's recommendations to:
- Set clear objectives for your session.
- Prepare materials and resources in advance.
- Familiarize yourself with the technology and tools you will be using.
Choosing the right format
When planning your professional development session, it's essential to choose a format that aligns with your time and preferred delivery method. Our PD guide is designed to be versatile, making it perfect for various formats:
- Asynchronous Learning: Engage participants at their own pace with flexible, self-guided content.
- Short Face-to-Face Sessions: Deliver impactful training in brief, in-person meetings.
- Extended Workshops: Dive deep with comprehensive workshops for a more immersive experience.
No matter the format, our PD guide ensures a seamless and effective training experience.
Customize the PD Guide
Whether you’re introducing Book Creator to teachers for the first time or providing a refresher for experienced educators, our PD guide is designed to be flexible and customizable to meet your unique needs.
How to Get Started:
- Remix the Book: Start by remixing the book below to tailor it to your specific requirements.
- Select Your Content: Choose the most relevant pages from each section: Why, Try, Apply. This ensures your PD session is focused and impactful.
- Distribute to Teachers: Assign a copy of the customized book to each of your teachers, making it easy for them to follow along and get the most out of the training.
Why Customize Your PD Guide?
- Personalized Learning: Address the specific needs and skill levels of your educators.
- Increased Engagement: Keep your teachers engaged with content that is relevant to their experience and classroom goals.
- Efficient Training: Save time by focusing on the most important aspects of Book Creator that will benefit your teachers and students the most.
Ready to elevate your professional development sessions? Start customizing your Book Creator PD guide today!
To share this book with others, click Remix and a copy of this book will be added to the library of your choice and you can Assign to your teachers.
Here are our recommendations for making the most of the possible session formats:
Asynchronous
Whether your teachers prefer pajama PD or a PD choice board, we recommend the following for delivering self-paced PD for teachers:
Why: Have teachers explore this. "Why use Book Creator in your classroom?" book to understand the impact it can have on their classroom.
Try: Have teachers complete the Certified Book Creator Author Course. If you are a school or district admin, you can send a message to teachers from the Admin Dashboard inviting them to complete the course and track their progress.
Apply: Provide teachers with the “Teach Your First Lesson: Teacher Guide” to inspire ideas for implementing Book Creator in their classrooms.
After exploring, have teachers use the lesson plan templates to create a lesson idea for the year. As a coach, this is a great opportunity to collaborate with your teachers through co-planning and teaching to support their journey with Book Creator.
Here is a version of the PD guide remixed with this asynchronous session in mind.
Short in-person session
We understand that teacher preparation week is precious, and you may only have 30 minutes to share Book Creator with your teachers. This format also works well for lunch and learns during the first month of school.
Here's how to maximize your time:
Why: Begin with a quick, engaging introduction to Book Creator, highlighting its benefits and potential impact on student engagement and learning. This video is a great conversation starter:
Try: This stage is all about getting teachers using Book Creator.
- Conduct a Rapid Demo: Showcase the key features of Book Creator. Focus on simple, high-impact functionalities that teachers can easily implement.
- Hands-on Activity: Engage teachers with a brief, practical activity. Have them create a new book, add content, and explore formatting options.
- Share Top Tips: Provide a takeaway by sharing this Top Tips book created by Book Creator Ambassadors. This resource will give teachers additional insights and best practices to review later.
Apply: Facilitate a quick discussion or brainstorming session where teachers share initial thoughts on how they might use Book Creator in their classrooms while exploring the Discover library.
Here is a version of the PD guide edited with this short-form, in-person session in mind.
Extended Workshops: Dive Deep into Book Creator
For more in-depth professional development, extended workshops offer the perfect opportunity to thoroughly explore Book Creator. This is your chance to take the PD guide and tailor it to create a rich, immersive session.
Why: Start by having teachers explore the example books found on pages 20-23 of the PD guide. Encourage them to visit read.bookcreator.com to discover additional books that could be beneficial for their classroom settings.
Try: Lead an extensive hands-on session where teachers create their own books to fully explore all the features of Book Creator. The prompts on page 30 of the PD guide provide excellent starting points for book creation ideas.
Encourage experimentation with interactive content, embedding multimedia, and collaborating on projects using the Book Creator Bingo choice board found on page 31.
Apply: Dedicate time for teachers to reflect and develop detailed implementation plans. Utilize the reflection templates on page 40 of the PD guide to guide their reflections. Teachers can then use the "Teach Your First Lesson" book to create their implementation plans and receive feedback from peers, fostering a collaborative learning environment.
Go further
Enhance your training sessions by exploring the Toolkit for Schools and Districts. This resource is packed with tips from Book Creator Ambassadors, coaches, and champions. It offers valuable insights and strategies to make your PD sessions more impactful and engaging.
We have also created a PD menu that outlines the different ways we can support you on your journey with Book Creator. This menu covers getting started with Book Creator, a deeper dive into specific features and use cases, and exploring thematic concepts and grade/subject level application of Book Creator.
Join the Book Creator Community and Remix the PD Guide Now!
Hotler joined Book Creator as the Education Community Manager in February, 2023. He has 15 years of experience in education as a teacher, coach, and consultant in North America and Europe. His mission is to build and empower communities of educators who are passionate about teaching with Book Creator.
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